The benefits of using a cryogen, such as liquid nitrogen (LIN), to cool and freeze food products are well-known. In addition to dramatically decreasing the time required to freeze a particular food product, in many cases the taste, color, and texture of a cryogenically-frozen food product is superior to conventional, non-cryogenic freezing methods.
Cryogenic tunnel freezers are a common type of cryogenic freezer in the food industry. In a cryogenic tunnel freezer, the food product is cooled by passing the food product through the tunnel along a belt and exposing the food product to the cryogen within the tunnel. Most conventional tunnel freezers include fans located within the tunnel that circulate the cryogen.
For many small and mid-sized food processing operations, use of conventional cryogenic tunnel freezers is not cost-effective, due to their high purchase and operating costs, as well as the fact that they are not well-suited for intermittent use. In addition, most cryogenic tunnel freezers consume LIN at a rate that requires large on-site LIN storage tanks and associated equipment, adding further investment considerations to the customer's overall freezing cost. Therefore, there is a need for a cryogenic tunnel freezer that is better-suited for use in small and mid-sized food processing operations.